Cashless toll collection in major expressways back starting March 15
Motorists pass by the toll gates of NLEX connector Espana ramp in Manila on Monday, August 26, 2024. (INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — Cashless or contactless toll collection in major toll expressways will be back starting March 15, 2025, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said on Saturday.
TRB said that all motorists will be required to have valid Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) device or radio frequency identification (RFID) stickers on their vehicles.
Motorists without ETC or RFID stickers will still be allowed to enter the toll plazas and will have their tags installed.
READ: Explainer: What to know about RFID for tollways
However, the TRB noted that “[t]he Land Transportation Office (LTO), through its deputized personnel, will issue against them either a Temporary Operator’s Permit or Show Cause Order for violating the “No Valid ETC Device, No Entry” Policy under the DOTr/LTO/TRB’s Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001, and will be meted the corresponding penalty/ies.”
Article continues after this advertisementTRB then explained that cash lanes for motorists “are usually congested with long lines of motor vehicles, and the same often hamper the fast and efficient flow of traffic leading to the ETC designated lanes.”
Article continues after this advertisementThe board is expecting for a “better and more efficient flow of traffic” once the ETC designated lanes will be used again for the cashless transactions.
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It also encouraged motorists to have their RFID stickers installed in their vehicles.
A previous data from TRB showed that approximately 100,000 vehicles in the country lack RFID tags as of May 2024.
The same joint memorandum circular said that motorists without valid RFID devices or with insufficient load balances will be fined.
